Solvent systems for metals and inks

ABSTRACT

Solvent systems and dispersions including such solvent systems for use in compositions including metals and inks are provided. In certain examples, the solvent systems may be used with capped metal particles to provide a dispersion that may be used to print conductive lines.

PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.60/826,601 filed on Sep. 22, 2006 and to U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 60/866,721 filed on Nov. 21, 2006, the entire disclosure of each ofwhich is hereby incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY

Embodiments of the technology disclosed herein relate generally tosolvent systems for use in metal particle dispersions such as, forexample, nanoparticle dispersions.

BACKGROUND

The electronics industry is moving towards devices with a smallerfootprint. As electrical devices become smaller, there remains a needfor better methods and materials to produce such smaller devices.

SUMMARY

In accordance with a first aspect, a solvent system for use with inks isprovided. In certain examples, the solvent system includes at least twocomponents. In some examples, the first component of the solvent systemis a substantially non-polar molecule. In certain examples, the secondcomponent of the solvent system is a molecule that is more polar thanthe first component. In certain examples, the first component of thesolvent system has a dielectric constant at 20° C. that is less thanabout 4. In other examples, the second component of the solvent systemhas a dielectric constant at 20° C. that is greater than about 4.

In accordance with another aspect, an ink comprising particles andhaving a viscosity of about 10-12 cPs at a printing temperature isdisclosed. In certain examples, a viscosity of about 10-12 cPs isprovided by suspending or dissolving the particles in one or more of thesolvent systems disclosed herein. In some examples, the particles mayinclude silver particles, such as the silver nanoparticles describedherein. In certain examples, the printing temperature may vary fromabout 28° C. to about 70° C.

In accordance with an additional aspect, an ink comprising particles andhaving a surface tension of 30-32 dynes/cm at a printing temperature isprovided. In certain examples, a surface tension of about 30-32 dynes/cmmay be provided by suspending or dissolving the particles in one or moreof the solvent systems disclosed herein. In some examples, the particlesmay include silver particles, such as the silver nanoparticles describedherein. In certain examples, the printing temperature may vary fromabout 28° C. to about 70° C.

In accordance with another aspect, an ink comprising particles that arefinely dispersed is disclosed. Finely dispersed refers to the conditionswhere the particles have been processed to avoid or reduceagglomeration. For example, the primary size of the metal particles maybe about 10-20 nm in diameter. These particles may agglomerate to somedegree under certain conditions. Before printing, the metal particlesmay be filtered through a membrane or filter, e.g., a 0.2 micron PTFEfilter from Whatman, to provide finely dispersed particles. In certainexamples, inks that are finely dispersed may be provided by suspendingor dissolving metal particles in one or more of the solvent systemsdisclosed herein. In some examples, the particles may include silverparticles, such as the silver nanoparticles described herein.

In accordance with an additional aspect, an ink comprising particles anda carrier and that is stable during printing and storage is disclosed.In certain examples, the carrier of the ink may include one or more ofthe solvent systems disclosed herein to provide such stability. In someexamples, the particles may include silver particles, such as the silvernanoparticles described herein. In certain examples, the inks are stablewhen printed under conditions similar to those used with inkjetprinters.

In accordance with another aspect, a device comprising a substrate andone or more electrical conductors producing using at least one of theinks disclosed herein is provided. In certain examples, the electricalconductor may be produced using inkjet printing along with one or moreof the inks disclosed herein.

In accordance with an additional aspect, an ink comprising capped metalparticles and designed for use in an inkjet printer is disclosed.

In accordance with another aspect, an ink cartridge comprising an inkreservoir and capped metal particles disposed in a solvent system in theink reservoir is provided.

In accordance with an additional aspect, a printing system comprising aprint head, an ink reservoir fluidically coupled to the print head, theink reservoir comprising capped metal particles disposed in a solventsystem, and means for moving the print head.

Additional aspects and features of the technology, and uses of suchadditional aspects and features, are disclosed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Certain examples are described in detail below with reference to theaccompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is an example of a printed wiring board including a conductivepattern, in accordance with certain examples;

FIG. 2 is an example of a printed wiring board including a conductiveline, in accordance with certain examples;

FIGS. 3A-3C are photographs of printed array of RFID antennas and blocksof interconnects and soldering pads, in accordance with certainexamples; and

FIGS. 4A and 4B are photographs of individual conductive lines ofvarious widths, in accordance with certain examples.

Certain features shown in the figures may have been enlarged, distortedor otherwise altered or shown in a non-conventional manner to facilitatea better understanding of the technology disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Certain illustrative embodiments and examples are described in moredetail below to illustrate further, some of the many configurations andapplications of the technology disclosed herein.

As used herein, the term “printing temperature” refers to thetemperature at which the ink or material is disposed onto a substrate.The exact printing temperature used may vary depending on many factorsincluding, but not limited to, the composition of the ink or material tobe disposed, the properties of the substrate receiving the ink and thelike. In examples where a silver nanoink is inkjet printed onto asubstrate, the printing temperature is about 28° C. to about 70° C.

The electronics industry has increasingly moved toward the production oflow cost printable electronics formed on various substrates. Traditionalprinting techniques such as screen printing, gravure and offset arecurrently used to create printed electronic circuits on substrates. Adrawback of these techniques is the relatively low resolution of printedstructures.

Ink jet technology may be used as a method of printing electroniccircuits using inks of various formulations and materials. For printingconductive lines the material of choice may be silver or copper powdermixed in epoxy or other polymeric matrix. After printing such inks aresubject to curing by UV or temperature to ensure conductivity andadhesion to the substrate. However such lines have only limitedelectrical conductivity of about 200-300 μΩcm. Alternatively the “firingsilver ink” provides low resistivity of about 3-4 μΩcm but requiressintering at 600-900° C. that may limit application of this ink to hightemperature stable substrates such as silicon or ceramics.

Nanotechnology provides new methods for production of conductivestructures. It was demonstrated in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/462,089that metallic particles can be sintered at temperatures as low as150-200° C. and create highly conductive films and structures. Theentire disclosure of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/462,089 is herebyincorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Nanosilver is amaterial of the most interest and was widely investigated for makingconductive lines. To make silver nanopowder sinterable the particles aredesirably capped with an organic coating, such as long chain amines,thiols or carboxylic acids. A typical printing practice includesdispersion of the nanopowder in organic solvents such as toluene andthen spin-coating or dispensing the dispersion on the substrate. Thesubstrate may then be heated to 150-250° C. for a period of time tosinter the nanopowder which forms conductive lines of differentconductivity depends on particle chemistry, size and sinteringconditions.

Previous attempts to apply nanomaterials by ink jet technology have verylimited success. In certain instances, the process may not be reliableand may be accompanied with frequent clogging of nozzles and lowresolution of printed structures and relatively low conductivity oflines. A possible reason for difficulties is that for successful ink jetprinting the ink needs to posses certain physical properties such asviscosity and surface tension which need to be adjusted to very specificvalues, e.g., 10-12 cPs for viscosity and 30-32 dynes/cm for surfacetension. In traditional ink technology, these properties may be achievedby the addition of rheology modifiers to the ink solvent system.Unfortunately such modifiers are usually very high boiling materials andwhen introduced into the system along with nanoparticles may leavesignificant residues that may reduce conductivity of lines. On the otherhand, nanodispersions without modifiers have low viscosity and surfacetension that resulted in poor ink jet printing.

In accordance with certain examples, an ink comprising particlessuspended in a solvent system is disclosed. In certain examples, the inkis selected for its ability to be used in inkjet printing application,as discussed in more detail below.

Certain embodiments of the inks disclosed herein include particles whichmay take the form of nanoparticles. As used herein, the term“nanoparticle” refers to a particle having a particle diameter of atleast about 5 nanometers to about 500 nanometers, more particularly atleast about 5 nanometers to about 100 nanometers, e.g., about 5nanometers to about 50 nanometers.

In accordance with certain examples, the ink may include silverparticles dispersed in a suitable solvent system. Silver particles arewell known materials and available from different commercial sources.Normally, the size of particles ranges from 5 to 70 nm. The knownadvantage of particles compared to regular silver powder is theirability to be heated or sintered in solid structures at temperaturesmuch lower then melting temperatures. The silver particles can beheated, for example, at temperatures as low as 200° C. The heatingprocess is a diffusion process in which silver migrates from particle toparticle forming connecting bridges between particles. The structuresformed by heating of currently available silver particles areconductive, but their conductivity is still much lower then that of bulksilver. The reported conductivity is in the range of 1-2*10⁴ S/cmcompared to 62*10⁴ S/cm for the bulk silver. There remains a need forsilver films whose conductivity is much closer to that of bulk silver.

In accordance with certain examples, particles suitable for use in theinks disclosed herein may be produced by mixing at least one metal ormetal salt and a capping agent in a single phase solution or in amulti-phase solution. In certain examples, the metal or metal salt maybe selected from conductive metals or conductive metal salts including,for example, transition metals or transition metal salts of gold,silver, copper, nickel, platinum, palladium, iron, and alloys thereof.The exact form of the metal or metal salt may vary depending on theselected solvent system. It is desirable that the metal salt dissolve inthe selected solvent system without undue heating that could result inevaporation of the solvent. Illustrative anions of the metal saltsinclude nitrate, chloride, bromide, iodide, thiocyanate, chlorate,nitrite, and acetate. Additional anions are disclosed below in referenceto the particular illustrative metal salts disclosed.

In certain examples, the use of a single phase solution to produce theparticles permits omission of a phase transfer reagent (though a phasetransfer reagent may still be used in certain embodiments) that iscommonly used to produce particles in a polyol process. By performingthe reaction in a single phase, the ease of producing the particlesincreases, and the cost of producing the particles decreases. Inaddition, large scale, industrial synthesis of the particles may beachieved using a single phase reaction. Additional benefits of theparticles, and methods of producing them, will be readily selected bythe person of ordinary skill in the art, given the benefit of thisdisclosure.

In accordance with certain examples, a silver salt may be used toprovide particle suitable for use in the inks disclosed herein. Ininstances where a silver salt is used, the silver salt may be one ormore of silver chloride, silver bromide, silver iodide, silverthiocyanate, silver sulfate, silver chromate, silver phosphate, silveroxalate, silver carbonate, silver sulfite, silver hydroxide, silvernitrate, silver chlorate, silver acetate, silver nitrite, silveracetylacetonate, silver lactate, silver (II) fluoride, silver (I)hydrogenfluoride, silver (I) permanganate, silver metavanadate, silvertrifluoroacetate, potassium dicyanoargentate, silver benzoate, silverarsenate, silver bromate, silver cyclohexanebutyrate, silverfluorosulfate, silver hexafluoroantimonate (V), silverhexafluoroarsenate (V), silver hexafluorophosphate, silver (I) fluoride,silver (I) oxide, silver (I) perrhenate, silver (I) selenide, silver (I)telluride, silver iodate, silver orthophosphate, silver sulfide, andsilver tungstate. Additional suitable silver salts will be readilyselected by the person of ordinary skill in the art, given the benefitof this disclosure.

In accordance with certain examples, a gold salt may be used to provideparticles suitable for use in the inks disclosed herein. In instanceswhere a gold salt is used, the gold salt may be one or more of gold(III) chloride hydrate, hydrogen tetrachloroaurate (III) hydrate,chloro(dimethylsulfide)gold (I), gold (I) chloride, gold colloid, gold(I) cyanide, gold (I) iodide, gold (I) sulfide, gold (III) bromidehydrate, gold (III) chloride, gold (III) chloride trihydrate, gold (III)hydroxide, gold (III) oxide hydrate, gold (III) sulfide, potassiumdicyanoaurate (I), potassium gold (III) chloride, and sodiumtetrachloroaurate (III) dehydrate. Additional suitable gold salts willbe readily selected by the person of ordinary skill in the art, giventhe benefit of this disclosure.

In accordance with certain examples, a copper salt may be used toproduce particles suitable for use in the inks disclosed herein. Ininstances where a copper salt is used, either the cuprous form (copper(I)) or the cupric form (copper (II)) may be used. Illustrative coppersalts include, but are not limited to, copper (I) chloride, copper (II)chloride, copper (I) bromide, copper (II) bromide, copper (I) iodide,copper (II) iodide, copper mercuric iodide, copper (I)tetraiodomercurate (II), cuprous thiocyanate, copper (II) sulfate,copper(II) acetylacetonate, ammonium tetrachlorocuprate (II) dihydrate,copper aluminum oxide, copper chromite, ethylenediaminetetraacetic aciddiammonium copper salt solution, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acidcopper(II) disodium salt, copper (I) acetate, copper (I) cyanide, copper(I) oxide, copper (I) selenide, copper (I) sulfide, copper (I)telluride, copper (I) thiophenolate, copper (II) acetate, copper(II)acetate hydrate copper (II) acetate monohydrate, copper (II) carbonate,copper (II) hydroxide, copper (II) molybdate, copper (II) niobate,copper (II) nitrate, copper (II) selenide, copper (II) selenitedehydrate, copper (II) sulfate, copper (II) sulfide, copper (II)telluride, tris(ethylenediamine)copper (II) sulfate, and combinationsthereof. Additional suitable copper salts will be readily selected bythe person of ordinary skill in the art, given the benefit of thisdisclosure.

In accordance with certain examples, an aluminum salt may be used toprovide particles suitable for use in the inks disclosed herein. Ininstances where an aluminum salt is used, the aluminum salt may be, forexample, one or more of aluminum acetate, aluminum phosphate monobasic,aluminum sulfate, aluminum ethoxide, aluminum potassium sulfate,aluminum silicate, aluminum acetate, aluminum arsenide, aluminumbromide, aluminum chloride, aluminum chloride hydrate, aluminumfluoride, aluminum fluoride hydrate, aluminum fluoride trihydrate,aluminum hydroxide, aluminum iodide, aluminum sulfide, aluminum nitrate,aluminum thiocyanate, aluminum chlorate, and aluminum nitrite.Additional suitable aluminum salts will be readily selected by theperson of ordinary skill in the art, given the benefit of thisdisclosure.

In accordance with certain examples, a platinum salt may be used toproduce particles suitable for use in the inks provided herein. Ininstances where a platinum salt is used, the platinum salt may be, forexample, one or more of platinum (II) acetylacetonate, platinum (IV)chloride, platinum (IV) oxide, platinum (II) bromide, platinum (II)chloride, platinum (II) cyanide, platinum (II)hexafluoroacetylacetonate, platinum (II) iodide, platinum (IV) sulfide,and platinum nitrate. Additional suitable platinum salts will be readilyselected by the person of ordinary skill in the art, given the benefitof this disclosure.

In accordance with certain examples, a palladium salt may be used toproduce particles suitable for use in the inks disclosed herein. Ininstances where a palladium salt is used, the palladium salt may be, forexample, one or more of palladium (II) acetylacetonate, palladium(II)trifluoroacetate, palladium hydroxide, palladium (II) acetate,palladium(II) bromide, palladium (II) chloride, palladium(II) cyanide,palladium(II) hexafluoroacetylacetonate, palladium(II) iodide,palladium(II) nitrate dehydrate, palladium(II) nitrate hydrate,palladium(II) oxide, palladium (II) propionate, palladium (II) sulfate,palladium (II) sulfide, and palladium on alumina. Additional suitablepalladium salts will be readily selected by the person of ordinary skillin the art, given the benefit of this disclosure.

In accordance with certain examples, a cobalt salt may be used toproduce particles suitable for use in the inks disclosed herein. Ininstances where a cobalt salt is used, the cobalt salt may be, forexample, one or more of ammonium cobalt (II) sulfate hexahydrate, cobaltchloride, cobalt (II) acetate, cobalt (II) acetate tetrahydrate, cobalt(II) acetylacetonate, cobalt (II) acetylacetonate hydrate, cobalt (II)bromide, cobalt (II) chloride, cobalt (II) chloride hexahydrate, cobalt(II) chloride hydrate, cobalt (II) cyanide dehydrate, cobalt (II)iodide, cobalt (II) thiocyanate, cobalt (II) nitrate hexahydrate, andcobalt (III) acetylacetonate. Additional suitable cobalt salts will bereadily selected by the person of ordinary skill in the art, given thebenefit of this disclosure.

In accordance with certain examples, a chromium salt may be used toproduce particles suitable for use in the inks disclosed herein. Ininstances where a chromium salt is used, the chromium salt may be, forexample, one or more of chromium (III) acetylacetonate, chromium (II)acetate, chromium (II) chloride, chromium (II) fluoride, chromium (II)selenide, chromium (III) acetate hydroxide, chromium (III) bromidehexahydrate, chromium (III) chloride, chromium (III) chloridehexahydrate, chromium (III) chloride hydrate, chromium (III) fluoride,chromium (III) sulfate hydrate, chromium (III) telluride, chromiumsilicide, and chromium nitrate. Additional suitable chromium salts willbe readily selected by the person of ordinary skill in the art, giventhe benefit of this disclosure.

In accordance with certain examples, an indium salt may be used toproduce particles suitable for use in the inks disclosed herein. Ininstances where an indium salt is used, the indium salt may be, forexample, one or more of indium (III) acetylacetonate, indium antimonide,indium (I) bromide, indium (I) chloride, indium (I) iodide, indium (II)chloride, indium (III) acetate, indium (III) acetate hydrate, indium(III) bromide, indium (III) chloride, indium (III) chloride hydrate,indium (III) chloride tetrahydrate, indium (III) fluoride, indium (III)fluoride trihydrate, indium (III) hydroxide, indium (III) iodide, indium(III) nitrate hydrate, indium (III) nitrate hydrate, indium (III)nitrate pentahydrate, indium (III) nitride, indium (III) oxide, indium(III) perchlorate hydrate, indium (III) selenide, indium (III) sulfate,indium (III) sulfate hydrate, and indium (III) telluride. Additionalsuitable indium salts will be readily selected by the person of ordinaryskill in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure.

In accordance with certain examples, a nickel salt may be used toproduce particles suitable for use in the inks disclosed herein. Ininstances where a nickel salt is used, the nickel salt may be, forexample, one or more of nickel (II) acetylacetonate, nickel (II) acetatetetrahydrate, nickel (II) carbonate hydroxide tetrahydrate, nickel (II)octanoate hydrate, nickel sulfide, nickel carbonate, nickel (II)bromide, nickel (II) bromide hydrate, nickel (II) bromide trihydrate,nickel (II) carbonate basic hydrate, nickel (II) chloride, nickel (II)chloride hexahydrate, nickel (II) chloride hydrate, Nickel (II)cyclohexanebutyrate, nickel (II) fluoride, nickel (II) fluoridetetrahydrate, nickel (II) hexafluoroacetylacetonate hydrate, nickel (II)hydroxide, nickel (II) iodide, nickel (II) molybdate, nickel (II)nitrate hexahydrate, nickel (II) oxalate dehydrate, nickel (II) oxide,nickel (II) perchlorate hexahydrate, nickel (II) peroxide hydrate,nickel (II) phosphide, nickel (II) stearate, nickel (II) sulfatehexahydrate, and nickel on silica. Additional suitable nickel salts willbe readily selected by the person of ordinary skill in the art, giventhe benefit of this disclosure.

In accordance with certain examples, an iridium salt may be used toproduce particles suitable for use in the inks disclosed herein. Ininstances where an iridium salt is used, the iridium salt may be, forexample, one or more of iridium (III) acetylacetonate, iridium (III)bromide hydrate, iridium (III) chloride, iridium (III) chloride hydrate,iridium (III) chloride hydrochloride hydrate, iridium (IV) chloridehydrate, iridium (IV) oxide, iridium (IV) oxide hydrate and iridiumnitrate. Additional suitable iridium salts will be readily selected bythe person of ordinary skill in the art, given the benefit of thisdisclosure.

In accordance with certain examples, a rhodium salt may be used toproduce particles suitable for use in the inks disclosed herein. Ininstances where a rhodium salt is used, the rhodium salt may be, forexample, one or more of rhodium (III) acetylacetonate, rhodium (II)acetate dimmer, rhodium (II) acetate dimer dehydrate, rhodium (II)heptafluorobutyrate, rhodium (II) hexanoate, Rhodium (II) octanoatedimer, rhodium (II) trifluoroacetate dimer, rhodium (II)trimethylacetate dimer, rhodium (III) bromide hydrate, rhodium (III)chloride, rhodium (III) chloride hydrate, rhodium (III) iodide hydrate,rhodium (III) nitrate hydrate, rhodium (III) oxide, rhodium (III) oxidehydrate, rhodium (III) phosphate solution, sodium hexachlororhodate(III) dodecahydrate, rhodium (III) sulfate solution, rhodium (IV) oxide,rhodium on activated alumina, rhodium on activated charcoal,tris(ethylenediamine)rhodium (III) chloride, andtris(ethylenediamine)-rhodium (III) nitrate. Additional suitable rhodiumsalts will be readily selected by the person of ordinary skill in theart, given the benefit of this disclosure.

In accordance with certain examples, an osmium salt may be used toproduce particles suitable for use in the inks disclosed herein. Ininstances where an osmium salt is used, the osmium salt may be, forexample, one or more of osmium (III) chloride hydrate, osmiumtetrachloride, osmium tetroxide, osmium trichloride andtetra-osmium-nitrate. Additional suitable osmium salts will be readilyselected by the person of ordinary skill in the art, given the benefitof this disclosure.

In accordance with certain examples, an iron salt may be used to produceparticles suitable for use in the inks disclosed herein. In instanceswhere an iron salt is used, the iron salt may be, for example, one ormore of iron (III) acetylacetonate, iron (II) acetylacetonate, ironascorbate, ammonium iron (II) sulfate hexahydrate, iron (III) citratetribasic monohydrate, iron (II) gluconate dehydrate, iron (III)pyrophosphate, iron (II) phthalocyanine, iron (III) phthalocyaninechloride, ammonium iron (III) citrate, ammonium iron (II) sulfate,ammonium iron (III) sulfate, ammonium iron (III) sulfate dodecahydrate,iron (III) chloride, iron (III) bromide, iron (III) chloridehexahydrate, ferric citrate, iron (III) fluoride, iron (III) nitratenonahydrate, iron (III) oxide, iron (III) phosphate, iron (III) sulfatehydrate, iron (II) bromide, iron (II) chloride, iron (III) phosphatehydrate, iron (III) phosphate tetrahydrate, iron (II) chloride hydrate,iron (II) chloride tetrahydrate, iron (II) ethylenediammonium sulfatetetrahydrate, iron (II) fluoride, iron (II) gluconate hydrate, iron (II)iodide, iron (II) lactate hydrate, iron (II) oxalate dehydrate, ferroussulfate heptahydrate, iron (II) sulfide, iron (II) acetate, iron (II)fluoride tetrahydrate, iron (II) iodide tetrahydrate, iron (II)molybdate, iron (II) oxide, iron (II) perchlorate hydrate, iron (II)titanate, and iron (III) ferrocyanide. Additional suitable iron saltswill be readily selected by the person of ordinary skill in the art,given the benefit of this disclosure.

In accordance with certain examples, a ruthenium salt may be used toproduce particles suitable for use in the inks disclosed herein. Ininstances where a ruthenium salt is used, the ruthenium salt may be, forexample, one or more of ruthenium (III) acetylacetonate, ruthenium (IV)oxide, ammonium hexachlororuthenate (IV), ruthenium (III) chloride,ruthenium on activated charcoal, ruthenium on alumina, ruthenium oncarbon, ruthenium (III) bromide, ruthenium (III) chloride hydrate,ruthenium (III) chloride trihydrate, ruthenium (III) iodide, ruthenium(III) nitrosyl chloride hydrate, ruthenium (III) nitrosyl nitratesolution, and ruthenium (IV) oxide hydrate. Additional suitableruthenium salts will be readily selected by the person of ordinary skillin the art, given the benefit of this disclosure.

In accordance with certain examples, the metal used to provide theparticles for use in the inks disclosed herein may be uncomplexed or maybe complexed with one or more ligands. For example, the metal may becomplexed with EDTA, ethylenediamine, oxalate, 2,2′-bypyridine,cyclopentadiene, diethylenetriamine, 2,4,6,-trimethylphenyl,1,10-phenanthroline, triethylenetetramine or other ligands.

In accordance with certain examples, the inks disclosed herein mayinclude two or more different metal particles suspended in a solventsystem. For example, an illustrative ink may include both capped silverparticles and capped gold particles each suspended in a suitable solventsystem.

In certain examples, the metal or metal salt may be dissolved in one ormore of the solvent systems to provide a clear, but not necessarilycolorless, solution. For example, a suitable amount of metal or metalsalt may be added to a solvent or a solvent system such that when themetal or metal salt goes into solution, the overall solution is clear.The overall solution may be colored or may be colorless. In certainexamples, the combination of solvents provides a single phase. Toachieve a single phase when using a solvent system, the amounts of eachsolvent may be adjusted such that a single phase results when thesolvents are mixed. Should more than one phase be present upon mixing,the relative amounts of one or more of the solvents can be altered,e.g., increased or decreased, until a single phase is observed.Alternatively, a third solvent may be added to increase the miscibilityof the first and second solvent.

In accordance with certain examples, the particles may also be producedby adding a capping agent to the metal salt dissolved in the solvent orsolvent system. The capping agent may be effective to isolate theparticle and limit the size of its growth. In certain examples, thecapping agent is a high molecular weight capping agent, e.g., has amolecular weight of at least about 100 g/mole. Illustrative cappingagents include, but are not limited to, organic amines having about 12or more carbon atoms. In certain examples, the organic amine has atleast about 16 carbon atoms, e.g., hexadecylamine. The organic moiety ofthe amine may be saturated or unsaturated and may optionally includeother functionalities such as, for example, thiols, carboxylic acids,polymers, and amides. Another group of illustrative capping agentssuitable for use in the methods disclosed herein are thiols having about12 or more carbon atoms. In certain examples, the thiol has at leastabout 6 carbon atoms. The organic moiety of the thiol may be saturatedor unsaturated and may optionally include other functionalities such as,for example, pyrrole and the like. Another group of capping agentssuitable for use are pyridine based capping agent such as, for example,triazolopyridine, terpyridine and the like. Additional suitable cappingagents will be readily selected by the person of ordinary skill in theart, given the benefit of this disclosure.

In certain examples where a capping agent is used, the capping agent maybe dissolved in a suitable solvent or solvent system prior to additionto the metal solution. For example, the capping agent may be dissolvedin a solvent and the solution can be mixed with the metal solution. Inother examples, the capping agent may be added as a solid or liquiddirectly to the metal solution without prior dissolution in a solvent.The capping agent may be added, for example, in incremental steps or maybe added in a single step.

In accordance with certain examples, the amount of capping agent addedto the metal solution may vary depending on the desired properties ofthe resulting capped particles. In some examples, a suitable amount ofcapping agent is added to provide at least about 2% by weight cappingagent in the capped particles. It will be recognized by the person ofordinary skill in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure, that itmay be desirable to use more or less capping agent depending on thedesired properties of the particles and/or the desired properties of theink. For example, to increase the conductivity of particles disposed ona substrate, e.g., a printed wiring board, it may be desirable to adjustthe amount of capping agent until the conductivity is optimized or fallswithin a desired range. It will be within the ability of the person ofordinary skill in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure, toselect suitable amounts of capping agent.

In certain examples, when a capping agent (or a capping agent solution)and the metal salt solution are mixed, a single phase results orremains. In an alternative embodiment, the metal salt solution may be asingle phase prior to addition of the capping agent or capping agentsolution, and, upon addition of the capping agent or capping agentsolution a single phase remains. Additional embodiments where a metalsolution and a capping agent are mixed to provide a single phase will bereadily selected by the person of ordinary skill in the art, given thebenefit of this disclosure.

In certain examples, the capping agent and the metal solution may bemixed using conventional techniques such as stirring, sonication,agitation, vibration, shaking or the like. In some examples, the cappingagent is added to the metal solution while the metal solution is beingstirred. In certain examples, the mixture of capping agent and metalsolution may be stirred until a clear and/or colorless single phasesolution results.

In accordance with certain examples, the particles may also be producedby adding a reducing agent to the metal-capping agent solution. Suitablereducing agents include agents that can convert the metal ions dissolvedin the solution to metal particles that, under selected conditions, willprecipitate out of solution. Illustrative reducing agents include, butare not limited to, sodium borohydride, lithium aluminum hydride, sodiumcyanoborohydride, potassium borohydride, sodium triacetoxyborohydride,sodium diethyldihydridoaluminate, sodium tri- ortert-butoxohydridoaluminate, sodium bis(2-methoxyethoxo)dihydridoaluminate, lithium hydride, calcium hydride, titanium hydride,zirconium hydride, diisobutylaluminum dydride (DIBAL-H), dimethylsulfideborane, ferrous ion, formaldehyde, formic acid, hydrazines, hydrogengas, isopropanol, phenylsilane, polymethylhydrosiloxane, potassiumferricyanide, silanes, sodium hydrosulfite, sodium amalgam, sodium(solid), potassium (solid), sodium dithionite, stannous ion, sulfitecompounds, tin hydrides, triphenylphosphine and zinc-mercury amalgam.The exact amount of reducing agent added to the metal-capping agentsolution may vary, but typically the reducing agent is added in excesssuch that substantially all of the dissolved metal is converted from acharged state to an uncharged state, e.g., Ag⁺¹ is converted to Ag⁰.

In some examples, the reducing agent is dissolved in a solvent prior toaddition to the metal-capping agent solution, whereas in other examples,the reducing agent is added to the metal-capping agent solution withoutprior dissolution. When a solvent is used to dissolve the reducingagent, the solvent is preferably non-reactive such that the solvent isnot altered or changed by the reducing agent. Illustrative solvents foruse with the reducing agent include, but are not limited to,tetrahydrofuran (THF), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), ethanol, toluene,heptane, octane and solvents having six or more carbon atoms. The personof ordinary skill in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure, willbe able to select suitable solvent for dissolving the reducing agent.

In accordance with certain examples, the reducing agent and cappingagent-metal solution may be mixed or stirred for a sufficient time topermit reaction of the reducing agent with the metal. In some examples,the stirring may be performed at room temperature, whereas in otherexamples the stirring or mixing is performed at an elevated temperature,e.g., about 30° C. to about 70° C., to speed the reduction process. Whenan elevated temperature is used, it is desirable to keep the temperaturebelow the boiling point of the solvent or solvent system to reduce thelikelihood of solvent evaporation, though in some examples, it may bedesirable to reduce the overall volume of solvent.

In accordance with certain examples, the particles may also be producedby isolating the capped metal particles from the single phase solution.Isolation may occur, for example, by decanting, centrifugation,filtering, screening or addition of another liquid that the capped metalparticles are insoluble in, e.g., extraction. For example, a liquid,such as methanol, acetone, water or a polar liquid, may be added to anorganic solution obtained from adding metal salt, capping agent andreducing agent to an organic solvent or organic solvent system. Incertain examples, multiple, separate additions of the extraction liquidmay be added to the solution to remove the capped metal particles. Forexample, a first amount of extraction liquid may be added to remove someof the metal particles. This first amount of extraction liquid may thenbe removed, decanted or otherwise separated from the organic solution,and additional amounts of the extraction liquid may be added to theorganic solution. The exact amount of extraction liquid used to isolatethe metal particles may vary depending on the volume of solvent used toproduce the capped metal particles. In some examples, about two to fourtimes or more solvent is used to extract the capped metal particles,e.g., if the metal particles are produced in about five liters ofsolvent, then about 20 liters or more of extraction liquid may be used.It will be within the ability of the person of ordinary skill in theart, given the benefit of this disclosure, to select suitable solventsand amounts of suitable solvents.

In accordance with certain examples, the capped particles may beseparated from the extraction liquid using conventional techniques suchas decanting, centrifugation, filtration and the like. In some examples,the extraction liquid may be evaporated leaving the capped particles.The capped particles may be washed, sized, heated or otherwise processedprior to, during or after separation from the extraction liquid. Incertain embodiments, the extraction liquid may be used, optionally alongwith one or more solvents, as a carrier fluid to provide an ink, asdiscussed in more detail herein.

In accordance with certain examples, the capped particles may be driedto remove any residual liquids. For example, the capped particles may bedried in an oven, may be dried using a vacuum, or may be subjected tolyophilization to otherwise remove any residual extraction liquid and/orsolvent. The dried, capped particles may be stored at room temperatureoptionally in a sealed container to prevent moisture entry.

In accordance with certain examples, the capped particles may beprocessed to remove the capping agent prior to use of the particles inan ink. The capping agent typically remains on the surface of theparticles after the reaction, but the presence of a capping agent may beundesirable. For example, where it is desirable to use particles withthe lowest level of organic contamination possible, it would beadvantageous to remove the capping agent from the capped particles. Incertain embodiments, the capped particles may be processed until thelevel of capping agent is reduced below about 2% by weight, moreparticularly reduced to below about 1% by weight, e.g., the cappingagent is present at less than 0.5% or 0.1% by weight.

In accordance with certain examples, the particles disclosed herein maybe used to provide alloys. In certain examples, the capped particlesdisclosed herein may be used to provide a core-shell structure where themetal of the capped particle acts as a shell and another metal or metalalloy would act as a core. For example, a tin-copper alloy may be usedas a core and silver particles (capped or uncapped) may be used as ashell to provide a type of SAC alloy, e.g., a nano SAC alloy. The exactprocess used to produce the alloy may vary, and in certain examples thealloy may be produced by dissolving ions of other metals, e.g., Sn²⁺,Cu²⁺, etc., in a dispersion of uncapped silver particles. The mixturemay be subjected to reduction or other steps to produce an alloy havingselected properties. In certain examples, the alloys may be placed in asuitable solvent system to provide an ink suitable for use in printingapplications, e.g., inkjet printing applications.

In accordance with certain examples, the produced particles may bedissolved in a solvent system to provide selected properties, e.g., asuitable viscosity and surface tension, such that the particles may beprinted onto a substrate using inkjet printing. In certain examples, aselected amount of particles are dispersed in a carrier to provide anink. The exact amount of the particles selected may vary, and typicallya suitable amount of particles (either capped or uncapped) are used toprovide a dispersion including about 1 weight percent particles to about60 weight percent particles, more particularly about 10 to about 40weight percent particles, e.g., about 20 to about 25 weight percentparticles. In embodiments where capped particles are used, the amount ofthe capped particles used may be altered to account for the additionalweight added by the capping agent. In other examples, a sufficientamount of particles are used to provide a desired viscosity for thedispersion. For example, the viscosity of the dispersion may varydepending on the method or devices that the ink is to be used in. Inexamples where the ink is intended to be used in spin coatingapplications, a sufficient amount of particles may be selected toprovide an ink viscosity of about 0.25 cPs to about 2 cPs, moreparticularly about 0.5 cPs to about 1.5 cPs, e.g., about 1 cPs. Inexamples where the ink is intended to be used in inkjet printingapplications, a sufficient amount of particles may be selected toprovide an ink viscosity of about 5 cPs to about 20 cPs, moreparticularly about 7 cPs to about 15 cPs, e.g., about 8-10 or 8-9 cPs.Similarly, where the ink is intended to be used in spin coatingapplications, a sufficient amount of particles may be selected toprovide a surface tension of about 10 dynes/cm to about 35 dynes/cm,more particularly about 10 dynes/cm to about 20 dynes/cm, e.g., about 11or 12 dynes/cm. It will be within the ability of the person of ordinaryskill in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure, to selectsuitable solvent systems for imparting a desired property to an ink.

In accordance with certain examples, the carrier of the ink may be oneor more of the solvent systems disclosed herein that can effectivelydisperse the particles in a selected manner, e.g., spin coating, inkjetprinting, paste printing, etc. In certain examples, the carrier is asolvent system that includes a first component and a second component.In certain examples, the dielectric constant of the first component isless than that of the second component. In some examples, the firstcomponent is substantially non-polar with a dielectric constant at 20°C. that is less than about 4, more particularly less than about 3 orless than about 2. In certain examples, the second component has adielectric constant that is preferably greater than about 2, morepreferably greater than about 3 or about 4, provided that the dielectricconstant of the second component is typically greater than that of thefirst component.

In certain examples, the first component may be selected to provide fordispersion of the particles. The second component may be selected toprovide the ability to adjust the viscosity and surface tension of thedispersion. Viscosity modifiers that dissolve in one or both of thefirst component and the second component may also be used. For example,typical viscosity modifiers that may be used include, but are notlimited to, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol or other polyols. Uponheating, glycols should easily decompose and evaporate withoutcompromising conductivity of the final product.

In accordance with certain examples, the solvent system may include atleast two solvents with one solvent being a substantially non-polarmolecule, e.g., a hydrocarbon, and the second solvent being a solventthat is more polar than the first solvent. In examples where ahydrocarbon solvent is used, the hydrocarbon may be saturated orunsaturated, may be straight-chain, branched, cyclic or take otherforms. The solvent may also be a substituted hydrocarbon, e.g., ahalocarbon, or may be an ether (either linear or cyclic), a furan orother substituted hydrocarbon that is substantially non-polar. In someexamples, the substantially non-polar molecule of the first solvent maybe benzene, toluene, xylene, mesitylene or a cyclic hydrocarbon that mayinclude, for example, one or more phenyl groups or saturated orunsaturated cyclic hydrocarbons. Additional solvents for use as thefirst component of the solvent systems disclosed herein will be readilyselected by the person of ordinary skill in the art, given the benefitof this disclosure.

In accordance with certain examples, the solvent system may also includea second component that is more polar than the first component. Thesecond component may be a solvent that includes at least one hydroxyl,amino, sulfo, nitrile, carboxy or other group. In some examples, thesecond solvent may be an alcohol such as, for example, methanol,ethanol, 2-methoxyethanol, propanol, isopropanol, butanol, 2-butanol,pentanol, hexanol, heptanol, octanol or terpeniol. In other examples,the second solvent may include a cyclic alcohol, such as cyclohexanol.In some examples, the second solvent may be a ketone such as, forexample, acetone, methylethylketone, methylisoamylketone, ormethylisobutylketone. In yet other examples, the second solvent mayinclude an amine, amide group or carboxyl group optionally with one ormore hydroxyl groups. In additional examples, the second solvent mayinclude one or more —SH groups optionally with one or more hydroxylgroups. In certain examples, the second solvent may bedimethylformamide, dimethylsulfoxide, N,N-dimethylacetamide, ethylacetate, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, pyridine, tetramethyl urea, acetic acidor water. Additional solvents for use as the second component of thesolvent systems disclosed herein will be readily selected by the personof ordinary skill in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure.

In certain examples, the solvent system may include a mixture of thefirst component and the second component at any desired ratio. Incertain examples, the amounts of the first component and the secondcomponent that are used are selected to provide an ink viscosity ofabout 10-12 cPs at a printing temperature. In other examples, theamounts of the first component and the second component that are usedare selected to provide an ink having a surface tension of about 30-32dynes/cm. Illustrative ratios of first component:second component are4:1, 3:1, 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, and any ratio in between theseratios.

In accordance with certain examples, the solvent system may includethree or more solvents. The exact ratio of the solvents used typicallydepends on the desired properties of the ink. In certain configurations,the ratios of the solvent are selected to provide an ink that isamenable to disposition using inkjet printing applications. In someexamples, the ratios of the solvents are selected to provide a viscosityof about 10-12 cPs and/or a surface tension of about 30-32 dynes/cm. Itwill be within the ability of the person of ordinary skill in the art,given the benefit of this disclosure, to select suitable ratios ofsolvents for use in a solvent system that includes three or moresolvents.

In accordance with certain embodiments, a solvent system may be selectedsuch that an ink has a viscosity of about 10-12 cPs at a printingtemperature. Inks that include a viscosity of about 10-12 cPs areespecially useful in inkjet printing applications, such as those usingpiezoelectric Spectra and Xaar printheads. In some examples, the ink mayinclude capped metal particles suspended in a suitable solvent system,e.g., a mixture of toluene, terpeniol and optionally xylene, to providea viscosity of about 10-12 cPs. In certain examples, the ink may includecapped silver particles, capped gold particles, or mixtures thereof.

In accordance with certain examples, a solvent system may be selectedsuch that an ink has a surface tension of about 30-32 dynes/cm at aprinting temperature. Inks that include a surface tension of about 30-32dynes/cm are especially useful in inkjet printing applications, such asthose using piezoelectric Spectra and Xaar printheads. In some examples,the ink may include capped metal particles suspended in a suitablesolvent system, e.g., a mixture of toluene, terpeniol and optionallyxylene, to provide a surface tension of about 30-32 dynes/cm. In certainexamples, the ink may include capped silver particles, capped goldparticles, or mixtures thereof.

In accordance with certain examples, the inks disclosed herein may haveboth a viscosity of about 10-12 cPs and a surface tension of about 30-32dynes/cm. To achieve both properties, the relative amounts of thecomponents in the solvent system may be adjusted. In addition, more orless capped metal particles may be used to achieve a desired viscosityand a desired surface tension for the ink. The person of ordinary skillin the art, given the benefit of this disclosure, will be able to adjustthe amounts of capped metal particles and the components in a solventsystem to achieve desired physical properties.

In accordance with certain examples, an ink that is finely dispersed andstable at a printing temperature is disclosed. In certain examples,stability may be assessed by determining whether or not the capped metalparticles precipitate out of solution. It is desired that the cappedmetal particles be suspended in the solvent system to facilitatetransfer of the capped metal particles to a substrate during printing.Substantial precipitation of the capped metal particles may result inpoor transfer of material from the printer to the substrate. To increasestability of the ink, one or more dispersants may be added to the ink.Illustrative dispersants include, but are not limited to, Solsperse17000, 20000 and 39000 from Noveox Corp. or Disperbyk 112, 117, 1250from BYK.

In accordance with certain examples, the ink may be disposed, e.g.,printed, on a substrate. Illustrative substrates include, but are notlimited to, papers, glasses, silicone wafers, and polymer films. Incertain examples, the ink may be disposed on the substrate in a suitablemanner to produce a conductive pattern. For example and referring toFIG. 1, an ink may be disposed on a substantially planar surface of asubstrate 100 such that a conductive pattern 110 remains after thecarrier is removed. The exact thickness of the conductive pattern 110may vary depending on the selected application of the film. Inembodiments where the conductive pattern 110 is printed on a printedcircuit board, the thickness of the conductive pattern 110 may vary, forexample, from about 0.1 microns to about 5 microns and the width of theconductive pattern may vary from about 70 microns to about 700 microns.Additional widths and thicknesses for an intended use will be readilyselected by the person of ordinary skill in the art, given the benefitof this disclosure.

In accordance with certain examples, the ink may be processed prior touse. In certain embodiments, the ink may be mixed with dyes, other inksor other materials prior to use. In other embodiments, the ink may beheated, screened, filtered or the like prior to use. In certainexamples, the particles may be heated, screened, filtered or the likeprior to disposition in a solvent system to provide an ink. In certainembodiments employing the capped particles disclosed herein, heatingpermits the particles to coalesce and form highly conductive lines orpatterns that may be used, for example, in circuits, printed wiringboards and the like. For example and referring to FIG. 2, a substrate200 includes a conductive pattern 210 that may be operative to functionas part of an electrical circuit, e.g., may function as an interconnect.The conductive pattern can be created using numerous different methods.In one embodiment, the conductive pattern 210 may be created by inkjetprinting of the ink onto the substrate 200. In another embodiment, theconductive pattern 210 may be created by disposing a mask over thesubstrate 200 and inkjet printing on areas that are not covered by themask. Without wishing to be bound by any scientific theory or thisexample, the use of a mask may provide lines that are more highlydefined. In an additional embodiment, a conductive pattern 210 may bedisposed on a substrate 200 and a portion of it may be etched away, orotherwise removed, to provide a desired pattern. Additional embodimentsfor disposing inks on a substrate to create a desired pattern will bereadily selected by the person of ordinary skill in the art, given thebenefit of this disclosure. Illustrative uses for articles producedusing the inks disclosed herein include, but are not limited to, printedelectrical circuits, radio frequency identification (RFID) antennas,solar cell wires, solar cell interconnect, battery electrodes, andreflective surfaces and mirrors.

In accordance with certain examples, the type and nature of thesubstrate depends, at least in part, on the desired device that is to beproduced. For example, in application where a printed circuit board isproduced, the substrate may be one or more cured or uncured prepregs.The substrates may be made from many different materials, including butnot limited to, traditional silicon and also polymeric substrates suchas for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyimide and polyester.These substrates are relatively inexpensive to make and provide goodadhesion of electronic components. The substrate may include reinforcingfibers or whiskers, may include glasses, additives, foams, flameretardants and other materials to impart desired properties to thesubstrate.

In embodiments where an ink is subjected to heating, heating istypically performed using a hot-plate, oven (high temperature convectionoven, reflow oven, IR oven, etc.), laser heating or other methods anddevices that can increase the temperature of the particle dispersion orthe ink. In certain examples, the ink may be heated to at least about250° C. for 10-60 seconds, e.g., 250° C. for 30 seconds. In otherexamples, sequential heating may be performed such that the ink isheated at a first temperature for a selected time followed by heating ata second temperature for a selected time. For example, the ink may beheated at about 110-130° C. for 10-30 seconds, e.g., 120° C. for 20seconds, followed by a second heating step at 250-300° C. for 10-60seconds, e.g., 280° C. for 20 seconds. Subsequent to heating, theparticles and inks may be subjected to other processing steps.

In accordance with certain examples, the inks disclosed herein may beused along with a suitable apparatus for disposal of the inks. While theexact method used to dispose the ink on a substrate is not critical, anon-impact printing device, such as, for example, an inkjet printer, maybe used to print the ink onto a substrate. In embodiments where aninkjet printer is used, the inkjet printer includes an ink reservoir orcartridge that holds the ink. The ink cartridge is in fluidcommunication with a print head, which typically includes a series ofnozzles that spray the ink onto the substrate. The inkjet printer mayalso include a suitable motor to move the print head to a desiredposition. One or more belts or chains may connect the motor to the printhead. The inkjet printer may include stabilizer bars or supports tostabilize the print heat during the printing process. Illustrativeinkjet printers suitable for use include, but are not limited to, thoseusing or configured to use piezoelectric printheads such as, forexample, those available from Spectra and Xaar. Other suitable inkjetprinters will be readily selected by the person of ordinary skill in theart, given the benefit of this disclosure.

Several specific examples are disclosed below to facilitate a betterunderstanding of the technology described herein. In all the examplesdisclosed below, unless otherwise noted, all formulations were ballmilled for 48 hours and provided a stable dispersion of particles forweeks without visible precipitation.

Example 1

A batch of silver particles was prepared by adding 108 grams of silvernitrate to 200 millimeters (mL) of ethylene glycol to provide a silvernitrate concentration of 3.2 moles/Liter. The entire 200 mL solution wasadded to 1500 mL of ethanol to which 2750 mL toluene was added in orderto obtain a single phase mixture (provided a 1:1.83 mixture ofethanol:toluene).

In a first reaction, 318.7 grams of hexadecylamine was added to thesingle phase mixture, and a single phase remained after stirring. Tothis clear solution, 250 mL of a sodium borohydride solution inN,N-Dimethyl formamide (11.349 grams of sodium borohydride dissolved in250 mL of N,N-Dimethyl formamide) was added drop-wise as a reducingagent to form a dark yellowish brown solution of about 4.7 liters involume. The reaction mixture was allowed to stir for 30 minutes at about22° C., and capped silver particles were extracted by adding 20 L ofmethanol or 20 L of acetone. The capped particles were removed byseparatory funnel followed by centrifugation at 500 rpm for 30 minutesusing a Rousselet Robatel® RC 20 centrifuge. The capped particles weredried in a vacuum to obtain a free flowing powder of nanocrystallinecapped silver particles having about 18% hexadecylamine.

In a second reaction, 24 grams of dodecylamine was added to the singlephase mixture and a single phase remained after stirring. To this clearsolution, 250 mL of a sodium borohydride solution in N,N-Dimethylformamide (11.349 grams of sodium borohydride dissolved in 250 mL ofN,N-Dimethyl formamide) was added drop-wise as a reducing agent to forma dark yellowish brown solution of about 4.7 liters in volume. Thereaction mixture was allowed to stir for 30 minutes at about 22° C., andcapped silver particles were extracted by adding 20 L of methanol or 20L of acetone. The capped particles were removed by separatory funnelfollowed by centrifugation at 500 rpm for 30 minutes in a RousseletRobatel® RC 20 centrifuge. The capped particles were dried in a vacuumto obtain a free flowing powder of nanocrystalline capped silverparticles having about 8% dodecylamine.

Each of the capped particle samples was dispersed in toluene, and aclear absorption at 409-416 nm was observed using a Hewlett-Packard®UV-Visible Spectrophotometer (Model No.: HP8452A) and a 1 cm path lengthdisposable cuvette. An absorbance at 409-416 nm absorption is typical ofnanocrystalline silver.

Example 2

Depending on the applications for which the metal particles areintended, different loading rates may be used. The following loadingrates have been used to produce particles. In parenthesis is the liquidused to extract the metal particles from the single phase solution.

Sample Percent Loading (%) Ag-HDA (Methanol ppt) 18.69 Ag-HDA(Acetoneppt) 2.63 Ag-DDA (Methanol ppt) 7.35 Ag-DDA (Acetone ppt) 2.50

Example 3

Capped particles were produced using the protocol described in Example 1and with varying loading rates of hexadecylamine. Particles wereproduced that had 18% by weight hexadecylamine or 8% hexadecylamine. Acommercial powder (70 nm in size) that was commercially available fromSigma-Aldrich and 40 nm powder (type 3) available from an industrialsupplier (Nanodynamics, Inc. of Buffalo, N.Y.) were tested along withthe two particle samples.

FIG. 5 shows thermo-gravimetric analysis of three different thin filmsproduced using the three materials. Type one material was coated with18% HDA, type 2 was coated with 8% HDA and type 3 was the commerciallyavailable powder with 2% of an organic coating. Three different silverinks were made by mixing or dispersing of one of the selected materialsin toluene (about 6% solution by weight). Thin films were made on glassby spin coating the inks at similar conditions. The glass substrateswith wet films were then heated at 200° C. for 100 seconds. Upon heatingHDA and the solvent decomposed and evaporated to provide a surface ofsilver particles. Such particles easily and completely coalesced and theink made of silver particles with 18% of HDA coating produced thinsilvery and shiny films. Both of the inks made of silver nanopowder withonly 8% HDA coating and made of commercially available produced dark andloose grayish films.

The conductivity of the films was measured by conventional 4-point probemeter (Lucas Labs model Pro4). The films made of 18% HDA coatednanopowder produced highly conductive films with the conductivity in therange of 30-40*10⁴ S/cm, which was only slightly lower then theconductivity of the bulk silver (˜62*10⁴ S/cm). The films also have hadvery good adhesion to the glass substrate and easily passed tape andscratch tests usually used to evaluate the adhesion properties (ASTMD3359-02 dated Aug. 10, 2002).

Example 4

Metal particles prepared according to Example 1 above may be dispersedin toluene to provide an ink. In one illustration, metal particles maybe dispersed in toluene to provide 20 weight percent particles and asolution viscosity of about 1 cPs. The ink may be applied to a substrateusing spin coating, for example, or may be used in spin coatingapplications. The particles may be silver or gold particles or otherillustrative metals disclosed herein.

Example 5

Metal particles prepared according to Example 1 above may be dispersedin IsoPar® G solvent to provide an ink. In one illustration, metalparticles may be dispersed in IsoPar® G solvent to provide 20 weightpercent particles and a solution viscosity of about 1 cPs. The ink maybe applied to a substrate using spin coating, for example, or may beused in spin coating applications. The particles may be silver or goldparticles or other illustrative metals disclosed herein.

Example 6

Metal particles prepared according to Example 1 above may be dispersedin an organic solvent mixture to provide an ink. In one illustration,metal particles may be dispersed in toluene/Isopar® L solvent/Isopar® Vsolvent (1:2:8) to provide 20 weight percent particles and a solutionviscosity of about 8-9 cPs. The ink may be applied to a substrate usinginkjet printing devices and methods, for example, or may be used ininkjet applications. The particles may be silver or gold particles orother illustrative metals disclosed herein.

Example 7

Metal particles prepared according to Example 1 above may be dispersedin an organic solvent mixture to provide an ink. In one illustration,metal particles may be dispersed in toluene/Isopar® V solvent (1:2) and3 weight percent polyisobutylene (PIB) to provide 20 weight percentparticles and a solution viscosity of about 8-9 cPs. The ink may beapplied to a substrate using inkjet printing devices and methods, forexample, or may be used in inkjet applications. The particles may besilver or gold particles or other illustrative metals disclosed herein.

Example 8

Metal particles prepared according to Example 1 above may be dispersedin an organic solvent mixture to provide an ink. In one illustration,metal particles may be dispersed in toluene/Isopar® V solvent (1:1) toprovide 80 weight percent particles. The ink may be applied to asubstrate using paste printing methods, for example, or may be used inpast printing applications. The particles may be silver or goldparticles or other illustrative metals disclosed herein.

Example 9

Several inks were prepared by placing capped silver particles intoluene. Each of the capped silver particles used in the inks wasprepared using the protocol of Example 1 and extracted in methanol onceunless otherwise noted. The various inks are shown in the table below.The silver particles in Ink B were washed in methanol twice, and thesilver particles in Ink C were extracted using acetone. Inks F and Gwere made from commercially available silver nanoparticles. Inparticular, Inks F and G were made by dispersion of silver powder intoluene in the weight ratio 1:5. The ink was sonicated for 60 min priorto making the films. Ink F was made from Aldrich powder (Cat#57683-2),and Ink G was made using Nanodynamics Product Name NDSilver (Lot#31-0048).

Amount of Ink Capping Agent Capping Agent (%) Ink A Hexadecylamine 18Ink B Hexadecylamine 12-14 Ink C Hexadecylamine 2-3 Ink D Dodecylamine 8Ink E Octylamine 5-6 Ink F NA 4 (Commercial Product 1) Ink G NA 0.5(Commercial Product 2)Each of the inks was used in a spin coating process to form a film. Toform each film, each ink was heated on a hot plate at 250° C. for 30seconds. After heating, each ink was spin coated onto a glass substrateusing a KW-4A spin coater commercially available from Chemat Technology(Northridge, Calif.). The coating procedure involved coating at 600 rpmfor 9 seconds followed by coating at 1000 rpm for 30 seconds. Theresulting properties of each film are shown below. Adhesion was testedby tape test according to ASTM D3359-02 dated Aug. 10, 2002. Theresistivity of each film was measured using a 4-point probe (LucasLabs).

Resistivity Ink Film Description Adhesion (μΩ × cm) Ink A Shiny, smoothand Very good, passed 3-4 uniform (FIG. 6A). tape test Ink B Shiny,uneven with Good 3-4 pinholes (FIG. 6B) Ink C Did not form a film ∞ InkD Shiny, uneven, Poor 20-30 numerous pinholes (FIG. 6C) Ink E Does notform a film, ∞ crumbles on heating Ink F Does not form a film, ∞ greyagglomerates present Does not form a film

Example 10

A composition was prepared comprising the following materials: asufficient amount of nanosilver capped with hexadecylamine (produced asdescribed above in Example 1) was dispersed in a solvent system thatincluded 1 part toluene, 4 parts terpeniol and 4 parts xylene to provide20 weight percent nanosilver coated with hexadecylamine in thedispersion.

The surface tension and the viscosity of the dispersion were measured.Surface tension was measured using a Capillary Surface Tension Apparatusfrom Fisher. Viscosity was measured using a Brookfield DigitalViscometer DV-II. The surface tension was found to be 30 dynes/cm, andthe viscosity was found to be 10 cPs.

Example 11

A composition was prepared comprising the following materials: asufficient amount of nanosilver capped with hexadecylamine (produced asdescribed in Example 1) was dispersed in a solvent system that included4 parts toluene, 1 part terpeniol, 4 parts xylene and 0.1 g/L ethyleneglycol to provide 20 weight percent nanosilver coated withhexadecylamine in the dispersion.

The surface tension and the viscosity of the dispersion were measured asdescribed in Example 10. The surface tension was found to be 32dynes/cm, and the viscosity was found to be 14 cPs.

Example 12

A composition was prepared comprising the following materials: asufficient amount of nanosilver capped with dodecylamine (produced asdescribed in Example 1) was dispersed in a solvent system that included4 parts butanol and 1 part toluene to provide 20 weight percentnanosilver coated with dodecylamine in the dispersion.

The surface tension and the viscosity of the dispersion were measured asdescribed in Example 10. The surface tension was found to be 30dynes/cm, and the viscosity was found to be 10 cPs. Certain structureswere printed using the ink of this example. The structures are shown inFIGS. 3A-3C, 4A and 4B. The structures were printed with a Dimatix DMPprinter. Printing conditions were as follows: firing voltage 20 V,firing frequency 2 kHz, drop spacing 15 microns.

The resistivity of printed lines shown in FIG. 4 was about 4 μΩcm(measured using a conventional 4-point probe meter (Lucas Labs modelPro4)) and it passed a typical tape adhesion test (ASTM D3359-02 datedAug. 10, 2002).

When introducing elements of the examples disclosed herein, the articles“a, “an,” “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one ormore of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including” and “having”are intended to be open-ended and mean that there may be additionalelements other than the listed elements. It will be recognized by theperson of ordinary skill in the art, given the benefit of thisdisclosure, that various components of the examples can be interchangedor substituted with various components in other examples.

Although certain aspects, examples and embodiments have been describedabove, it will be recognized by the person of ordinary skill in the art,given the benefit of this disclosure, that additions, substitutions,modifications, and alterations of the disclosed illustrative aspects,examples and embodiments are possible.

1. An ink comprising capped metal particles dispersed in a solventsystem that provides a viscosity of about 10-12 cPs to the ink at aprinting temperature.
 2. The ink of claim 1 in which the capped metalparticles are silver particles capped with hexadecylamine or silverparticles capped with dodecylamine.
 3. The ink of claim 2 in which thesilver particles are silver nanoparticles.
 4. The ink of claim 1 inwhich the solvent system comprises a first component and a secondcomponent, the first component having a dielectric constant that islower than the dielectric constant of the second component.
 5. The inkof claim 4 in which the first solvent is a hydrocarbon.
 6. The ink ofclaim 4 in which the second solvent is an alcohol.
 7. The ink of claim 5in which the second solvent is an alcohol.
 8. The ink of claim 4 furthercomprising at least one viscosity modifier.
 9. The ink of claim 1 inwhich the solvent system also provide a surface tension of about 30-32dynes/cm to the ink at the printing temperature.
 10. An ink comprisingcapped metal particles dispersed in a solvent system that provides asurface tension of about 30-32 dynes/cm to the ink at a printingtemperature.
 11. The ink of claim 10 in which the capped metal particlesare silver particles capped with hexadecylamine or silver particlescapped with dodecylamine.
 12. The ink of claim 11 in which the silverparticles are silver nanoparticles.
 13. The ink of claim 10 in which thesolvent system comprises a first component and a second component, thefirst component having a dielectric constant that is lower than thedielectric constant of the second component.
 14. The ink of claim 13 inwhich the first solvent is a hydrocarbon.
 15. The ink of claim 13 inwhich the second solvent is an alcohol.
 16. The ink of claim 14 in whichthe second solvent is an alcohol.
 17. The ink of claim 13 furthercomprising at least one viscosity modifier.
 18. The ink of claim 10 inwhich the solvent system also provide a viscosity of about 10-12 cPs tothe ink at the printing temperature.
 19. A method of producing anelectrical conductor comprising disposing an ink comprising capped metalparticles dispersed in a solvent system and having a viscosity of about10-12 cPs on a substrate.
 20. The method of claim 19 further comprisingtreating the substrate to remove the solvent system of the ink. 21-25.(canceled)